


I Try to Picture Me Without You (But I Can't)

by Inevitablefannegirl



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Academy-era Flashbacks, Chemistry lab fluff, F/M, FitzSimmons (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) - Freeform, FitzSimmons future fic, The Fitz Wish List Project, surprise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-21
Updated: 2017-08-21
Packaged: 2018-12-18 05:10:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11867418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inevitablefannegirl/pseuds/Inevitablefannegirl
Summary: A trip to their old Chemistry lab helps Fitz and Jemma look back on the beginnings of their friendship- and helps them look forward to their future together.





	I Try to Picture Me Without You (But I Can't)

**Author's Note:**

> Written for @teamengineering‘s The Fitz Wish List to celebrate Leo Fitz’s 30th birthday! Also fulfills @thefitzsimmonsnetwork‘s Fanwork Friday Prompt “Surprise”.
> 
> (Title from Fall Out Boy’s “Immortals”) Set post-canon.
> 
> Wish #3: A Visit to Their Original Chem Lab

When Jemma got the news, she knew exactly where she needed to tell Fitz her little secret. What better place to tell Fitz about the next chapter of their lives than the place where it- _where they_ \- truly began.

Jemma wasn’t even sure the exact condition of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy of Science and Technology in light of the events of the past several years. But, after a few phone calls, and not to mention her pull as a very prominent past-student, Jemma was given permission to bring Fitz to the Academy in the late dusk of a cool August evening. The halls were deserted, with not a single student or professor in sight, but everything seemed to be exactly as Jemma remembered it.

As she led Fitz down the quiet Academy hallway, she could tell that even though he was blindfolded to keep their destination a secret, he knew exactly where they were. As soon as they had entered the Academy, Fitz’s grip on her hand had tightened, his fingers wrapping more securely around her own and the cool metal of his wedding band pressing into her palm. Even without seeing it in front of him, the building was so familiar to the both of them that he knew exactly where he was based on smell and sound alone.

The entire way to the Academy, Fitz had whined about how it wasn’t fair to keep where they were going such a secret. He had even used the _Jemma, you’re my best friend-not to mention my wife- don’t we tell each other everything_ card. But, Jemma was determined to keep it a surprise for him. She had merely smirked, rolled her eyes, and told him to sit back, keep his mouth shut, and _my goodness, if you would just learn to be patient for once in your life_ , _Fitz, we will be there soon._

When she handed him the blindfold, he had looked at her questioningly, but eventually acquiesced and permitted her to tie it around his eyes. But once they arrived, and he realized where she was taking him, he had finally shut his mouth and allowed her to lead him through the familiar halls.

Once Jemma reached her destination, she slowed her steps and turned to Fitz. Reaching forward, she tugged off his blindfold.

“Surprise” she whispered, as he blinked a few times while his eyes adjusted to the light.

Once he registered just exactly where they were standing, a smile widened on his face.

“You brought us to our old Chem lab?” he asked, smiling at her as she could see the memories flooding back into his eyes.

“Mm-hmm.” Jemma grinned back. “I thought it would be special to see where our story began.”

“Jemma, this is so great,” Fitz responded with a smile. “I’ve been hoping we could come back here someday. See the ol’ place once more. Thank you.” He leaned forward, about to kiss her, before he suddenly straightened back up and quirked an eyebrow. “Are we allowed to be in here? Are you sure this is okay?”

“Yes, Fitz, I’m positive,” Jemma answered, an eyeroll accompanying her giggle. “I got all the necessary permission. Do you think that I- Jemma Simmons- would break a rule? And _at the_ _Academy_ of all places?” Jemma said, a smile forming on her lips, and her hand coming up to her chest in a gesture of mock offense.

“Okay, you’re right. I know you would _never_ break a rule.” Fitz responded sarcastically. But, then his face became serious, his eyes staring deeply into hers. “Thank you, Jemma.”

“You’re quite welcome.” Jemma leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on Fitz’s lips. “Shall we go in?”

“Yeah, let’s do it.” Fitz smiled and reached down to grab her hand again as Jemma turned the knob and opened the door to the first year Chemistry lab.

                                                                        __________________

_Alright, everyone. Quiet down, quiet down. If everyone could gather around, it’s time to announce who our lab teams will be for this semester. Now, before I begin I would just like to say a couple things about the team pairings. First, the partner that you are assigned will be your lab partner. No amount of begging to switch pairs will be tolerated. In fact, it will be greatly frowned upon. Second, I suggest that you come to realize that your new lab partner will be your greatest ally for the rest of this year at the Academy. You need to learn to trust your partner, to work well with them. This person that you are paired with will help you to either succeed or to fail during this first year. But, remember, you will not be guaranteed to get along with your lab partner. In fact, most people walk away from this semester being glad to be done working with their partner. However, I wish you all well, and- if you are lucky- you might just find a new friend in your lab partner. Now, I will read each lab pairing and team number. Once called, you will find your partner and make your way to your numbered lab bench. Okay, let’s begin._

_Team 1. Carter Andrews and Tiffany Sloane._

_Team 2. Matthew Prescott and Sarah Williams._

_Team 3. Leopold Fitz and Jemma Simmons._

_Team 4…._

                                                                        __________________

Stepping slowly through the lab door, everything was almost exactly as Fitz remembered it. Looking around, he saw the rows of numbered lab benches, clustered in groups of two, stretching back to the far end of the room. Each pair of benches was separated by a small sink, with separate faucets for hot water, cold water, and deionized water. Spread around on each of the benches were a couple of laboratory instruments- a burette, a hot plate, a Bunsen burner, and a separatory funnel. On one side of the room, three hoods were positioned, a couple of larger lab instruments contained in them. And, at the very front of the room, sat the spectrometers and the computers.

“Wow, it’s exactly as I remember it,” Fitz breathed, leading Jemma around the front of the familiar room in awe.

“I know. It really is, isn’t it?” Jemma responded, squeezing Fitz’s hand.

Together, they walked over to the bench labelled “Team 3” that was positioned in the front corner of the room.

“Our old lab bench,” said Fitz.

“Hey, look at that! The burn mark from when you placed that Erlenmeyer down on the lab bench- after I told you it still needed to cool- is still there. Isn’t that ironic?” Jemma laughed, pointing out a circular ring of discolor on the shiny bench top.

“Ha-ha, Simmons. Yes, everyone knows you were always right about everything, even as a freshman.” Fitz responded sarcastically, his eyes lighting up with a smile.

“Well, hey, I guess this means that you really left your mark here at the Academy, huh, Fitz?” Jemma questioned, another laugh filling the quietness of the lab as she leaned into his arm.

“Yeah, I guess I did.” That first memory launched them both into a string of _Do you remembers?_ causing them to laugh so hard that by the end they were nearly gasping for air, leaning forward on the familiar lab bench.

“Do you remember the time that we could not get our solution to come to boil, so we had to switch out hot plates four different times? Then, we were almost late for Professor Vaughan’s first test, so we had to run just to get to class in time? Still aced that test though.”

“Do you remember when Sally Weber dropped that $200 piece of glassware? She was okay, but her face… Oh, it turned bright red, she was so mortified. The poor girl. Then she had to walk up to the lab supply room and pay for it out of pocket.”

“Do you remember when Andrews played that prank on us- he always was one for pranks. He switched out our chemical for Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate, which caused that giant foam explosion. Man, that was horrible. We would have been in so much trouble if we hadn’t of already proved ourselves as two of the best students in the class, which was a good thing because that foam made a terrible mess over the whole lab.”

“You are right, though. We proved that we were a great partnership from the start.”

                                                                        __________________

_Cadet Fitz. Cadet Simmons. I called you both into my office today because I wanted to say how impressed I have been with your work over these past two weeks. Every assignment and experiment that you have completed has been exemplary. Kudos to you both for your excellent work._

_Thank you so much, sir._

_Yes, thank you, sir. We have enjoyed working together so far._

_Well, I best advise you to keep it up. Have a good day, Cadet Fitz and Cadet Simmons._

_Good day, sir._

_Good job, Fitz. It’s been great working with you so far in the lab._

_Good job to you as well, Simmons. We work well together._

_That we do. Hey, what do you say if we carry over this partnership to some of our other classes. We could work on our Chemical Kinetics project together too. Professor Hall did say that we could work with a partner._

_I think that would be a great idea, Simmons._

_Good! Let’s head back to the library and start brainstorming. I’m sure that together we can come up with something magnificent._

                                                                        __________________

Becoming serious, Fitz stated with a shake of his head, “It’s amazing to think that this is where our partnership started. I mean, if it wasn’t for this room- this lab class- we might not have been ‘FitzSimmons’. We could have just been Fitz and Simmons.”

“That’s a horrible thing to think about isn’t it? To never have found each other here at the Academy? To never have found each other at all?” Jemma responded, a frown on her face.

“It sure is,” Fitz said, as he pulled Jemma into his side and placed a kiss on her forehead. “I’m thankful every day that we found each other and became a team.”

                                                                        __________________

_And so, sir, we have determined that based on the IR spectrum and the mass spec of this sample that the unknown molecule that we were given is riboflavin._

_And, you, Cadet Simmons? Do you agree with Cadet Fitz’s analysis?_

_Of course, sir. We performed both tests together and we both agree with the conclusion that we have given you._

_Excellent work, you two, as always. You both correctly identified the molecule, and in record time. I’ve never seen a lab team work as quickly and as efficiently together as you two do.  It takes most teams the entire lab period to complete this experiment, and you have done it in almost a quarter of the time. Great work, Fitz and Simmons. You know, a lab partnership as effortless and cohesive as yours needs to have a name that reflects that natural unity. What do you say, FitzSimmons?_

                                                                        __________________

As they both grew serious, Jemma decided that now was as good a time as any to let Fitz in on her little secret.

“Hey, Fitz?”

“Hmmm?” Fitz responded, his fingers drawing light circles on her shoulder, where she was nestled under the crook of his arm. His eyes still had that far-off look as though he was still lost in a sea of memories.

“Do you ever think about taking over the Academy? Maybe running it together, as directors?” Jemma asked. This was something that shortly after their engagement, they had talked about- a possible way that they could still be closely involved with S.H.I.E.L.D. without the daily worry that their lives would be threatened by a randomly liquifying rock or a psychopathic robot.

Her question seemed to have gotten his attention, as he quickly turned his head down to meet her eyes, his eyebrows quirking up questioningly.

“Ummm, yeah, sure. I’ve thought about it a couple times.” Fitz said. “I mean, who’s to say that we can’t start up a new Academy in Scotland? Once we settle down, move to Perthshire- maybe even start a family- we could consider it more.”

“Start a family?” Jemma questioned, trying to keep her face neutral, not wanting her excitement about where his train of thought was taking him to be evident on her face.

“Yeah, start a family.” Fitz smiled, his eyes looking steadily into hers. “You know maybe in a couple years- two, maybe three years.”

“What about in,” Jemma breathed, unable to keep a smile from forming on her face, “thirty-five weeks?”

Fitz’s eyes immediately widened, his mouth opening slightly in shock. Jemma could see the wheels turning in his brain, the realization dawning on his face. After a few moments of stunned silence, Fitz replied, “Wait. Jemma, are you saying…”

“I’m saying, Fitz, that you and I are going to be parents.” Jemma said, a wide smile filling her features.

As her words sank in, Jemma watched Fitz’s face light up, his smile growing to match hers. “Really?” he questioned.

“Yes, Fitz, really,” Jemma responded, rolling her eyes fondly. “I just took the test this morning. And, then just to be sure, I even ran a blood test on myself in the lab while you were meeting with Coulson. I wanted to be positive before I surprised you.” Jemma responded, unable to keep her giddy smile from her face. “So, surprise!”

Fitz responded by chuckling lightly and pulling her tighter against him as she could practically feel him smiling against her forehead. They stood like that for a few minutes and when Jemma pulled away to meet Fitz’s eyes, she could see that they were slightly misty. She could tell he was excited, but also slightly nervous. In the past couple of months, they had talked together many times about becoming parents and she knew that Fitz had some doubts about becoming a father- especially considering his own childhood. But, Jemma did not have a single doubt in her mind that Fitz would do everything in his power to love and protect this little baby that they had been given. Just like he had always done everything in his power to love and protect her.

“Fitz, you are going to be the most amazing father. There is no one else that I would even think about doing this with. I love you so much.”

“I love you too, Jemma. And, I am nervous about being a dad, but, you know, as long as I’ve got you by my side, I think I can do just about anything. I mean, look where we are standing, Jemma. It’s here where it all started. And, I couldn’t be more grateful for those memories or for the memories that we are bound to make in the future with this little one,” Fitz smiled, his eyes sparkling with unshed tears as they flicked down to her still flat stomach. Jemma could see an overpowering amount of love in his eyes- love both for her and for their unborn child. The sight of it nearly made her heart burst in her chest.  

Fitz leaned down to kiss her then. When he pulled away, he rested his forehead on hers, their smiles lighting up both of their faces. The love for each other and for their baby shining in their eyes. They stood in the dimly lit Chemistry lab for several moments after that, swaying against each other as they whispered hopes and plans for their life ahead of them. And there- amidst the memories of their first partnership, the very beginnings of their friendship- their dreams for their future began to unfold.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for checking it out! I'd love to know what you think!


End file.
